Too Much
by Avada Cait-davra
Summary: Rorschach loves Daniel, but he has found an interesting way of showing it. But how much is too much? Lame title, better than it sounds, I swear it. Owlblot, established relationship. Slash, abuse, you know the works. RR pretty please!
1. Chapter 1

**Why hello! I am back. Well, I guess I never really left. But I have a new Watchmen for the masses! Well, hopefully the masses will read it. Uhm. Whatever. XD Warnings, right. Slash, abuse of varying kinds, and swearing and drinking in later chapters. There you have it. (:**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Watchmen. I am simply not that cool.

Walter walked slowly down the hall towards his mother's room. It was late, he didn't know what time it was, but knew it was past his bedtime. He was afraid, he didn't know why, but he was. He didn't want to be alone, not tonight. He wanted to curl up under his mother's blankets and sleep the rest of the night there. Carefully, he reached up to open the door, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping.

What Walter found inside was more disconcerting than staying in his room would have been. His mother was tangled on the floor with another man. Walter didn't know what to do, his mother was making strange noises, like that man was strangling her.

"Is he hurting you mom?" He asked in a small voice.

"Walter?" She asked, shocked.

"What is this? A kid? I could get that at home!"

"Walter, go to your room!" Walter just stood, frozen, afraid.

The man was pulling his shirt back on. He reached into his pocket and threw a bill at Walter's mother. "Five dollars. That's all you're worth."

"Five dollars? I..you.." Walter's mother was at a loss for words as the man stormed out of the room.

"Mommy...?" She turned on Walter with anger in her eyes.

"You little bastard! I should have had that abortion!" she screeched, throwing her fist at Walter's face."Mommy...stop it!" He yelped, but his mother didn't hear a word, continuing to hit the small boy. There were tears streaming down his cheeks and he hurt all over. His mother wouldn't stop, no matter how much he begged her. No matter how much he said he was sorry, even though he wasn't sure what he'd done to make her so angry. Finally, his mother picked him up by the shoulder and carried him roughly down the hall, throwing him hard to the ground in his room.

"And stay in there next time!" She yelled, slamming the door. Walter heard the lock click as it shifted over. He crawled up onto his bed, still sniffling, wiping his nose on his sleeve. He clutched a tattered teddy bear to his chest and buried his face in the fur on the top of its head.

"I love you, too Mommy." He whispered.

----Rorschach pounded a beefy man's face into the brick wall of the alley. He reveled in the sounds the man was making, in the way he could feel the man's nose and jaw crack as he rhythmically forced his face into the wall.

"Just let me go man, I'm sorry, I'll never hurt anyone again."

Smash, into the wall.

"Lies." the taller man stated simply, roughly. The man stared into his mask, his fear being mirrored by the blotches one minute, consumed by them in the next.

"You hurt that girl." Into the wall again.

Rorschach had been on his way to Daniel's house, it was "their night" That's what Daniel had called it. He made it sound like such a special occasion, such a big deal. He called it their anniversary, and said it was their day to celebrate them; to remember everything they'd been through together up to this point, and to remember how much they cared for each other. Not that Rorschach could ever forget. However, while on his way to Dan's he heard the cries of a distressed girl in an alley way, and knew his conscience wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't help her. She was a small, pretty girl in a green sweater, maybe going to a special night of her own. He had thrown the scum against the wall and motioned her to run, and she had.

Their night was supposed to start at eight and now it was quarter past. Rorschach hadn't been paying attention to the time as he smashed the scum's face into the red bricks, coloring them even darker red. He was too preoccupied at watching the blood steadily drip from the man's mouth, giving him a warning he would not soon forget. His blood puddling in the cracks of the sidewalk, Rorschach didn't notice the time passing, he only knew he needed to eradicate the filth. That came first, and Daniel knew it. Daniel would understand.

When sinful man was finally unresponsive, not dead, that would have been too much for just a warning. Rorschach finally started to Dan's again, hands in his pockets, with the neck of his trench coat up against his walked up to the door and twisted the knob. Dan had given up on locking his door before Rorschach made his nightly appearance. He'd wasted too much money on replacing the locks. Rorschach would always find a way in, one way or another, and he would always keep the unwanted out. Once inside, he was met with a dimly lit dining room, Dan sitting on the end of the table he always did. Food littered the table, along with the regular bowl of sugar cubes and a few cans of beans. Two candles sat in the middle of the table, their wicks almost halfway eaten by the flame. Daniel didn't look at Rorschach, staring at his yellowing wallpaper like he was waiting for a reply to a very pressing question, while groping for the words to say to his partner.

"You're late" he shifted as the words came out, still talking to the wall. "Again."

"I know." said Rorschach gruffly. He pulled up a chair and pushed his mask up, ready to chew.

"Well, what happened?" Dan asked quietly, still not looking at Rorschach. He feared his eyes would betray too much of the hurt he was feeling.

"A girl. In an alley. Man attacking her. Couldn't let him go after hearing her yells." Rorschach said, around a mouthful of cold beans.

"Oh. Well. I'm sure she was glad you did that for her." Rorschach grunted a reply. "You know, I have other things to eat. Warm things."

"These are fine. Have to go out soon anyway."

"I know." Dan answered. He sighed. "I was worried about you, when you didn't show up when you said you would."

"Shouldn't worry. Can take care of myself. Wouldn't be stupid enough to get hurt."

"Yeah." a pause. "You remember what today is, don't you?" Dan asked in a quiet, almost childlike voice.

"Hurm." Rorschach started. "Wednesday. Seventeenth." He inspected the bottom of the can, seemingly in thought. Dan exhaled sharply. "Of course I remember Daniel. Do not forget important things...we are an important thing."

Dan gave Rorschach a small smile. He always knew what to say to cover for his mistakes when he made them. "It's almost nine. We should get out there." Rorschach nodded and followed Dan into his underground nest.

Up in Archie, it seemed that the city had decided to take a vacation from its usual activities. It was abnormally quiet night, but Rorschach insisted they stay in the air- just in case. Dan had agreed, knowing he would lose that battle. He steered the aircraft to hover off the east side of the city. They only had to sit and listen to that static on the police radios for about fifteen minutes before Daniel could sense Rorschach's intense stare from under his mask. In response, he'd taken off his cowl and goggles, walking across the ship to where he was sitting. Soon, they were both on the floor, entangled in each other, the fluctuating static from the inactive radio providing a soundtrack to their activities, punctured by small sounds of pleasure from either man. Hands flowed freely from form to form, grasping hungrily at body armor and tearing it off, feverishly untying trench coats and scarves. Discarded and on the floor, they were both half naked, connected at the mouth, faces crushing against each other with anticipation. Their breath came sporadically, in sharp gasps and sighs filled with ecstasy, fogging up the large circular windows. Daniel strayed from Rorschach's mouth, his lips falling down his face and lingering around his neck. He was lost in the odd way Rorschach tasted, like sweat and sugar, when a sharp inexplicable pain in his side made him catch his looked up, eyes wide, wiping his mouth, at Rorschach who stood with his arm wrenched back, sending it colliding again into Dan's ribs. Daniel, unsuspecting and unprepared for the blow fell to the floor. Rorschach seemed to tower over him, even though he was substantially shorter than him.

"Ror...damn it, Rorschach, what are you doing?"

The masked man didn't listen, sending a fist straight to Dan's nose. His hand flew up, cupping the blood that came gushing out. Dan held his hand out in front of him, the blood on his palm matching the pattern on his partner's mask for one split second. "Stop it! What the hell do you think you're doing?" As an answer, Rorschach threw his palm to Dan's left eye. He squinted as it stung, and his world was momentarily lost to blackness. His vision suddenly fuzzy, he saw Rorschach retreating to the front of the ship, to change the channel on the police radio.

"Love you, Daniel." Rorschach said, a tone of pride underlying his voice.

**Well, I hope this is a good first chapter for you all. I don't really think anyone has ever done anything like this. I have a bit more of this written up, so more should be up relatively soon, if it is well liked. And if not, well it can curl up and die along with my other failed attempts at fanfiction. (:**


	2. Chapter 2

Dan was sitting in the back of Archie in shock. His head was resting against the metal paneling and he could feel a stray nail digging into his scalp. He wondered how that possibly could have gotten there, but at the same time he barely noticed it. He had placed himself as far away from Rorschach as possible and was nursing his eye as best as he could. He could see it already: it would be purple, but it would heal quickly, like always. He always healed quickly, no matter how ghastly the mark was. He wouldn't have to remember this for long, or rather, he wouldn't have visible proof to remember this by. He didn't understand anything that had just happened. They were just kissing, just touching like normal. Just like they always did, maybe even better than usual...the sparks were flying, almost completely erasing the negative memory of Rorschach almost missing their anniversary. Then Rorschach was throwing punches.

The blood had finally stopped flowing from Dan's nose. It had been gritty, and had reminded him of Rorschach's red, dusty face stubble. When the mask came off, even just to show the man's soft lips and a few rosy freckles, he was someone different. He was more sensual, more gentle...Dan just didn't know what to think. He had known Rorschach for so long and he had never acted like this. To criminals and scum, maybe. But not to him, never ever to him. Dan started going over everything that had happened in his mind. Every act that had been done right up to that night. Everything that might have gone wrong to make Rorschach act out at Dan like this. Anything that he could have done to offend his vigilante, and Rorschach had kept it bottled inside him for too long until finally it had come bursting from his center, with nowhere to go but out. Had he bit his neck too hard? Had he used too much force? Or maybe not enough for his aggressive partner?

He winced as the pain in his eye throbbed again. This wasn't working. His head was spinning and he needed something to help it be level again. He didn't think he could handle being in his ship for another minute.

"Rorschach," he began, frightened, tentatively, "I…I have to go. Drop me off." Dan dropped his words gently.

"Fine." And Rorschach pressed a button and pulled a switch to lower them.

The city's nightlife wasn't very prominent tonight, at least the ones with guns looking for trouble. There was nothing to horribly dangerous out there tonight. _Rorschach can handle it alone._ Dan thought with confidence.

Dan got off the ship without saying a word. The silence between them was awkward, not at all like the comfortable silences they usually shared when Dan ran out of things to say, and Rorschach ran out of one word answers. The fact that his friend wouldn't even look at him only made it worse. It was like he didn't even realize he had hurt him or, Dan shuddered, he didn't care.

------

Even though he had stopped home to discard his cape and cowl, Dan still felt self conscious showing up at Hollis' house this late at night, especially with so many marks on his body. They looked worse to him out of costume than they had in. He looked like he'd finally met his match somewhere in a dark alley. When he was in a fight with someone, they rarely got the chance to make a move. When he was Night Owl, he had confidence and character. He was not at all the quiet bird obsessed Daniel Drieberg. Right now, not even having the luxury of his mask to hide behind, he couldn't summon an ounce of confidence.

He used the knocker, and tilted his head down, waiting for an answer. With a few clicks from the dead bolt and chain, the door stood ajar like it had so many times before. "Ah, Daniel. What brings you here so late tonight? Please, come in out of the cold. Let me get you something." Hollis greeted him warmly and guided him in with an arm around his broad shoulders.

"What happened to your eye? And your nose looks a bit crooked?" Hollis questioned as he sat Dan down in his cozy living room. Dan began to answer, squirming, but was interrupted.

"Want some brandy?" yelled the older gentlemen, already pouring the glasses. Dan took the glass a bit too eagerly, but Hollis took no notice. His mind needed a break from the constant questions he was badgering himself with about what he had done wrong with Rorschach. He needed to pretend everything was alright. He needed to joke around with an old friend. Before Dan knew it, he was halfway to being drunk, and halfway into Hollis' history of an old gang member he had once fought in the city. The sting of the alcohol made him completely forget about any previous injury, and any memory as to how he even obtained them. He welcomed the pain for once, and balanced it with echoing laughter from the mouth of an old friend.

"So then, he ran down the street, his pants falling around his ankles, screaming that he would be back. Needless to say, he wasn't." Hollis said, roaring with laughter, Dan following suit. He loved how the stories Hollis told could make anything disappear for a while. Hollis let out one last chuckle, taking a sip of his drink. "Heh. I thought you find that amusing."

"I cant believe that actually happened. That's ridiculous."

"I know, I know." He topped off his glass, gesturing to Dan with the bottle, asking if he wanted more. Dan nodded. "You're taking more than usual tonight. You sure everything's okay? You know, you never told me what happened to your eye, there." he said, handing Dan his glass.

"Oh. Uhm." Dan faltered. He didn't want the conversation to go in this direction, he couldn't tell Hollis what actually happened. Number one, Hollis took every chance he could to tell him he didn't like him hanging around Rorschach so much. He thought he was dangerous; a sparking live wire, the venomous snake that could turn on its charmer at any moment. Number two, Hollis didn't know about Daniel's...preference. Dan couldn't just spout off with that information, without testing the waters first. Frankly, he had no idea what Hollis's thoughts on being gay were, and he didn't want to offend him. The thought of upsetting Hollis; his mentor, his father figure, his best friend other than Rorschach was completely unbearable and out of the question. He didn't want to disgrace the person who's legacy he was carrying on.

"Alcohol getting to you, Danny boy?" Hollis asked, jolting Dan out of his rambling thoughts. "Can't remember what happened tonight? Not a good sign, I don't think I can rightfully let you have anymore."

_Not remember? I wish. _Dan thought. His head was starting to hurt. Maybe Hollis was right, maybe he shouldn't drink anymore. He took a long swig anyway, trying to delay the topic at hand as long as he could. He was going to feel this in the morning. "No, no. 'M fine. I remember." God, was it him or was his speech slurring? "There was a thug in the alley. We were fighting him...was going well. Bu' then, there was more people behind him, we didn' see 'em." His speech _was_ slurring. "Came up behind me and did...you know, this."

He gestured vaguely to his face. Hollis clapped him on the shoulder. Dan tried not to cringe. "Its alright, my boy. Happens to the best of us. Why, I remember one night back in '47 when..." Good. He had Hollis rambling again. He wanted the conversation off of him. After another fifteen minute story, Hollis gasped as he took in the clock. "Good Lord! It's three thirty!"

"Hm? Oh wow, I'm sorry, I've kept you from sleeping."

"Oh no, don't apologize, Danny. I love when you stop by. Just go home and get some sleep. You aren't driving?"

"No, no. I'm walking."

"Oh, let me call you a cab."

"No, it's fine. It's really not that far. Only a few blocks."

"Alright, Danny. Be safe." He clapped Dan on the shoulder a final time as he watched Dan walk down the dimly lit street, knowing there was something that Dan wasn't telling him.

Dan stumbled into his house. God, was he drunk. He practically tripped up his stairs while trying to get to his bathroom. He finally reached his destination, mostly unscathed. He took off his glasses and started removing the sweater and white button up shirt he had thrown on before going to Hollis's. He fumbled with the button on his jeans for a moment, his fingers clumsily sliding over the small piece of metal. He was standing over his sink, in nothing but his boxers, his feet sticking to the cold tile floor. He turned the water on, cupping some in his hands and pouring it over his face. He covered his face with a towel, drying the water off, trying to erase some of his grogginess. He placed his glasses back on his face, gasping at the dark purple lining his eye.

"Aw, hell." He muttered, looking down at his torso. There was another bruise forming bright red on the side of his torso. He ran his fingers along it, making sure his ribs weren't broken. God, Rorschach was strong. Daniel looked back up into the mirror, a yell strangled in the back of his throat. A black and white face stared at him through the mirror. He turned around, Rorschach was standing behind him.

"Ror...?"

"Daniel." And Rorschach's hands were on his bare torso once more.

**Ooh, cliffy!! Yeah, this wasn't too long, but I only got three reviews, so I'm still trying to see if you people like this. So, review review review if you want me to keep this going. (:**


	3. Chapter 3

"Rorschach, we need to talk." said Dan, catching his breath."Everything is fine. Shouldn't worry." Rorschach was looking directly into Dan's eyes. "Now come here."Dan's pants were around his ankles, just like the man in Hollis' story, within seconds, and he couldn't say a word of complaint. Rorschach's secretive nature had just enhanced this meeting, and somehow, it turned Dan on. Rorschach kissed up and down Dan's side, tasting each and every rib. He used his strong arms to hold Dan against the cold porcelain sink as he turned the man's legs into jelly with his lips and fingers. He couldn't feel a hint of numbness from the alcohol anymore, everything was such a rush of , between shivers, Dan found the time to think. Was this an apology? Rorschach hadn't ever been good with words, or even sentences for that matter. This was definitely making up or everything it could. The kisses felt apologetic, and were worth more than any word that the shorter man could have uttered. Kisses on his arm, traveling to his shoulder. Kisses on his chest, traveling down his stomach. Kisses on his hips, traveling to his…

The shower curtain came down next as the men almost wrestled, as if in a fight to please each other to the largest extent. The rubbery plastic squeaked and gave under quivering bodies, and the small rings dug into Dan's bruises, but he hardly noticed. Rorschach was back, he could put the other incident out of his head, he wouldn't have to hide a thing from everything was over, and clothes were located (under the sink, across the shower curtain rod, on the curtains), the two men stood in the middle of the bathroom. Dan looking into the mirror, Rorschach behind him."Rorschach," Dan began."Hm?" The other man sounded distracted."Thanks. Thanks for putting my mind to rest." Dan felt vulnerable. Like he was saying a little too much."Told you not to worry." before his sentence even ended, Rorschach had wrapped his arms around Dan's torso, a little too tightly. "Ror-" started Dan, but it was too late, his body hit the tiled floor of the room. It echoed, as it hit, and the rug moved aside as if ordered."I love you." said Rorschach, as he left the room.*Dan woke up, groggy, hungover, and aching. He hardly remembered what happened the night before. He held his forehead in his hands to avoid the bright light. It gave his pupils a white hot pain that he felt other places but couldn't quite focus on. One place at a time, the hangover instructed."I will never drink again." then he winced. Even his voice was too loud in his head. His hangover didn't agree with noise either sat up, favoring his side, and looked around the bathroom. Things started coming back to him. The shower curtain was bunched into a corner of the tub, marked up and a bit torn. He saw the rug on the other side of the room, hiding from what happened last night with the radiator. Rorschach had thrown him to the ground. Dan wanted to cry. As soon as Rorschach kissed him, he had been so confident, so sure of things. How had he let this happen again?--He groaned as he got off the floor. He'd have to tell Hollis to not let him ever drink that much ever again. He vowed to go downstairs and get some coffee. That would help. It always did. That and a cold shower. Dan turned to look at his bathtub, debating against showering first. He took in the disgruntled shower curtain and all its detached hooks all the way across the room. "Definitely coffee first." Dan descended his stairs, being careful of his footing as he planted them on each step. When he got to his kitchen and turned the coffee pot on, he turned to his table, noting a few discarded sugar cube wrappers and feeling a twinge somewhere deep in his chest. He didn't want to think about Rorschach. But he couldn't stop. The pot beeped, and Dan poured himself a mug, dropping two sugar cubes into the brownish plopped into his chair and picked up the paper that lay on the table still from yesterday, he hadn't had a chance to read it. He tried to read the headlines, but his eyes couldn't focus on the text, creating jumbles of black and white splotches before his eyes that were doing too good of a job of reminding him of his masked partner. He set the paper down and sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead, trying to rid it of the ache concentrated beyond it. He replaced his glasses and opened his eyes, almost falling out of the chair when he saw who was sitting across the table from him."Damn it, Rorschach, you have to stop doing that to me.""Doing what?""Sneaking up on me like that. Oh, never mind.""Just wanted to say good morning, Daniel. Wanted to see how hangover was." Rorschach said quietly, looking at the fingers of his gloves. "Know you were drunk last night.""So?" Dan said. "You can't tell me not to drink just because you don't.""Dirty habit. Habit for scum. Makes people not act how they are." Rorschach stated, matter-of-factly. Dan didn't know what to say to that comment. So he said nothing. Silence echoed off the walls of the kitchen for a few more minutes, before Dan couldn't handle it anymore."Rorschach, we need to talk.""About?" he asked, popping a sugar cube into his mouth."Last night." Dan edged. He wanted to plan out what he was going to say more before he just jumped into this."Nothing to talk about.""Of course there is, how can you say there's-""Because, there isn't." Rorschach said with striking finality. He stood, pecking Dan on the cheek before pulling his mask down and turning away. "Will see you tonight."

Dan opened his mouth to say something else, but his partner had already gone. He huffed out a large breath, leaning his forehead on the palm of his hand and rubbing his hair out of his face. He threw back the last of his coffee and trudged up the stairs and into the bathroom. Once there, he remounted the shower curtain and reunited the rug with its rightful place on the floor. He flicked the faucet on as he took off his clothes. He stepped in, onto the cold porcelain and closed his arms around his torso, leaning into the cold spray. He whimpered as the water hit cuts on his back that he hadn't been aware of till that moment. That was it, the straw that broke his back, figuratively or not. Tears streamed down his face and he blearily looked at his naked chest. The bruises there were nothing short of awful. Something in the back of his mind reminded him that bruises always looked worse in the shower, and of course he knew that, from the bruises he'd received from countless thugs on the street, but these bruises...these were from Rorschach, and they shouldn't be there. The only bruises from him should be on his neck. From teeth. Not fists, or feet, or the floor. He was starting to get goose bumps. He couldn't stay in here for much longer, but he didn't want to get out. Behind the vinyl curtain all his problems were doused in the icy water, nothing mattered but him. But he couldn't stay in there like a coward all night. He knew he had to get out, and get ready for patrol. If he didn't show up, and Rorschach got mad...well, he didn't want to think about soon donned his cowl and cape, after popping four, or six, advil, and made his way out the nest door, down the street to the alley that he and Rorschach met in when they did their patrols on foot. Dan didn't know if he felt safer on the ground or in Archie at this point. Still, he trudged down the alley. He heard voices, saw shadows. He was quiet, listening to what they were saying. It was a man, and a woman, that much he could tell."No, baby, I'm sorry, it wasn't-""I don't care, you stupid bitch. You told me you'd be there and you weren't!" The man yelled. Dan heard a sound that sounded like skin hitting skin, but he couldnt be sure. He didn't want to intervene just yet, too soon."But, honey, my gram, she-""I don't give a fuck about your gram!" it was unmistakable, he was hitting her now. Dan's heart went out to the girl. She was pretty, brown hair, blue eyes, maybe twenty. Dan opened his mouth, drawing in breath, getting ready to use his intimidating superhero voice. He was beaten to the punch, quite literally, by his partner swooping in from above."Bad, terrible, worthless scum!" Each punch was punctuated by each word. Dan watched, helping the girl to her feat, making sure she was alright as she mumbled breathless thank yous. But his eyes were glued on Rorschach, pounding his fists into this man for hitting this woman. For doing exactly what he had yesterday. How was this any different? Except that the man was angry. But it was so hard to tell when Rorschach was angry from when he was pleased, an infinitesimal gap between the two. The man was moaning, whimpering and Rorschach was whispering to him. Daniel couldn't hear what he was saying. He could feel the girl still leaning against his arm, and a twinge in his chest, and an almost unnoticeable one in his crotch. No. He was not jealous that Rorschach was hitting this ragged alley man, and not him. No, that was preposterous. That was terrible. It was wrong. He was breathing harder, out of anger, out of god knows what else. The man was unconscious, Dan heard Rorschach tell the woman that the police were coming. "Come, Nite Owl. More places to go, more scum to clean." Dan followed, his eyes wide under his goggles, trying to calm himself out of the cold sweat and uneasy feeling in his stomach.

**This is not very long. But here you have it. Okay, thanks for reading. **


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